August 23, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – The Power of God’s

The Power of God’s Mercy

Psalm 51:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

What does David ask God to do according to His “unfailing love” (verse 1)?

What does he ask to be cleansed from (verse 2)?

Where is David’s sin (verse 3)?

Who has David sinned against (verse 4)?

When did David’s sinfulness begin (verse 5)?

What did God desire from David (verse 6)?

When will David be clean (verse 7)?

What does David ask to let rejoice (verse 8)?

How does he want God to treat his iniquity (verse 9)?

What does David want God to “create in” him (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

Matthew 20:29-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³³ “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Who did the “large crowd” follow (verse 29)?

Where were the “two blind men” (verse 30)?

What did they shout (verse 30)?

How did they respond when the crowd told the “to be quiet” (verse 31)?

What did Jesus call out to them (verse 32)?

How did they respond to Jesus (verse 33)?

What happened when Jesus compassionately touched their eyes (verse 34)?

How did they react when they could see (verse 34)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how is the mercy that David is asking for in Psalm 51:1-10 different from the mercy that the two blind men are asking for in Matthew 20:29-34?

Acts 9:10-19 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Where did Ananias live (verse 10)?

What was Saul doing (verse 11)?

What did Saul see in a vision (verse 12)?

What reports had Ananias heard (verse 13)?

Whose authority was Saul operating under (verse 14)?

How did God describe Saul’s duties (verse 15)?

What was God going to show Saul (verse 16)?

Why had Jesus sent Ananias to Saul (verse 17)?

What did Saul do when he could see again (verse 18)?

When did Saul regain his strength (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how do you think Saul’s thoughts while he was blind in Acts 9:10-19 were similar to David’s thoughts expressed in Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how would Saul’s prayers while he was blind in Acts 9:10-19 have been different from the cries for mercy by the two blind men in Matthew 20:29-34?

Romans 5:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What do we have “since we have been justified through faith” (verse 1)?

What do we “boast in” (verse 2)?

What do we “glory in” (verse 3)?

How is “God’s love” poured into our hearts (verse 5)?

Who did Christ die for (verse 6)?

What might someone “dare to” do for a “good person” (verse 7)?

How does God demonstrate “his own love for us” (verse 8)?

How have we been justified (verse 9)?

How are we saved (verse 10)?

How do we “boast in God” (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how are Paul’s words in Romans 5:1-11 the answer to David’s pleas in Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how is the response of the blind men to Jesus after receiving His mercy in Matthew 20:29-34 a foretaste of the spiritual foundation that Paul is establishing in Romans 5:1-11?

In your opinion, how does Romans 5:1-11 help us understand what Paul understood about the transformation that happened to him when Ananias laid hands on him and baptized him in Acts 9:10-19?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Acts, and Romans teach us about what we need to do to receive God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how do we respond to God’s mercy today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

The December 1, 2019 – Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Stiff-necked to Saved

Stiff-necked to Saved


Psalm 51:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

What does David ask God to have on him (verse 1)?

How does David ask God to treat his iniquity (verse 2)?

Where is David’s sin (verse 3)?

Who has David sinned against (verse 4)?

When did David become sinful (verse 5)?

Where was David taught wisdom by God (verse 6)?

How does David believe he will be “whiter than snow” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what does David mean by “let the bones you have crushed rejoice” (verse 8)?

What does David ask God to do with his iniquity (verse 9)?

How does David believe he can have a “pure heart” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 2:13-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Where did Jesus go (verse 13)?

Why did Jesus begin to teach (verse 13)?

What did Jesus tell Levi the son of Alphaeus (verse 14)?

What did Levi do (verse 14)?

Who was eating dinner with Jesus at Levi’s house (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why did the “teachers of the law who were Pharisees” ask “why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners” (verse 16)?

How did Jesus answer the question (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how would you contrast David’s view of sinfulness in Psalm 51:1-10 with that of the “teachers of the law who were Pharisees” from Mark 2:13-17?

Acts 7:51-60 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Who does Stephen say the members of the Sanhedrin always resisted (verse 51)?

In your opinion, who had the members of the Sanhedrin “betrayed and murdered” (verse 52)?

What had the members of the Sanhedrin not obeyed (verse 53)?

How did the members of the Sanhedrin react to the accusations of Stephen (verse 54)?

How was Stephen able to see Jesus (verse 55)?

Where did Stephen say Jesus was (verse 56)?

In your opinion, why did the members of the Sanhedrin cover their ears and yell at the top of their voices as they rushed Stephen (verse 57)?

Where did the witnesses lay their coats (verse 58)?

What did Stephen pray (verse 59)?

What did Stephen cry out (verse 60)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how did the members of the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:51-60, who would have considered themselves to be children of David, reveal that they had different attitudes than David when he wrote Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how does the question asked by the teachers of the law who are Pharisees in Mark 2:13-17 prove them to be similar to the members of the Sanhedrin who stoned Stephen in Acts 7:51-60?

1 Timothy 1:12-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. ¹³ Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴ The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

What does Paul thank Christ Jesus for (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why does Paul call himself “a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violet man” (verse 13)?

What was Paul shown (verse 13)?

How was the “grace of our Lord” poured out on Paul (verse 14)?

What did Christ Jesus come into the world to do (verse 15)?

Why was Paul shown mercy (verse 16)?

What does Paul pray for “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God” (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how are David, who wrote Psalm 51:1-10, and Paul, who wrote 1 Timothy 1:12-17, similar?  What does the fact that David prayed for mercy and Paul said he had received mercy reveal to us?

In your opinion, what does Paul’s statement that he was the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 reveal about how he would have reacted to Jesus statement in Mark 2:13-17 that “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”?  How should we react?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Saul, who witnesses laid their coats at the feet of in Acts 7:51-60 as Stephen was stoned for saying he saw Jesus in heaven is the very same person who says in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am thre worst”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Mark, Acts and 1 Timothy teach us about stiff-necked people and saved people today?

In your opinion, what should we who were once sinners but now are saved do today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)